The present invention relates to a new antibiotic, a process for producing it and its use as a herbicide.
Many herbicidal compositions are known which comprise various synthetic substances as active components. However, in view of the increased concern about pollution throughout the world, it is increasingly desirable to provide herbicides which are safely and completely biodegradable. In this regard, it has recently been proposed to use various antibiotics produced by microorganisms as active ingredients of herbicidal compositions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,860 discloses the use of N-phosphinomethyl glycine as a herbicide. U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,394 discloses that SF-1293, which is a peptide-type antibiotic having the following structural formula: ##STR2## is active against certain fungi, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,208 discloses the herbicidal use of SF-1293 and shows that this substance exhibits a broader herbicidal spectrum and lower toxicity in comparison with N-phosphinomethyl glycine (glyphosate). To our knowledge, SF-1293 appears to be the only naturally occuring substance having a C-P-C bonding, and its herbicidal activity is likely to be due to the inhibition of glutamine synthetase. JP-A-92628/79 (Kokai Koho 92628/79) discloses a herbicidal composition, comprising as active ingredient, L-2-amino-4-methyl-phosphinobutyric acid, which is obtained by decomposition of SF-1293.